


Psuedo PDA

by Mega_Erofan



Category: Shin Sangokumusou | Dynasty Warriors
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bullying, Cao Cao is a prick, Fluff, M/M, Xiahou Dun is a sweetheart, Zhang Liao is a cute dork, blushing Liao is adorable, possible trigger themes, this story may also contain a bit of OOCness, viewer discretion advised
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-04-07 07:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4255419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mega_Erofan/pseuds/Mega_Erofan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liao should have know better. He was the most popular guy in school, a class year above him, and his cousin is his tormentor. His best friend warned him about developing a crush on him but he would not listen. Now the whole school knows and the insults and threats have gotten worse. What’s a boy to do in this situation? Maybe his crush will offer some help in this predicament.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Psuedo PDA

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Looking Up](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2079219) by [ElectricEuphonium](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectricEuphonium/pseuds/ElectricEuphonium). 



> Got the idea for this while bored at work and reading fan fictions between busy periods. Figured I'd give it a shot and I love the end result. ^^ Enjoy!
> 
> You can also read this on my deviantart page (Mega-Erofan) along with other things I've written and look at some of the art I post on a semi-normal basis (because between the art block and writer's block, I'm struggling to get stuff out ^^;).

“Why can’t you just forget about this crush?”

“Because I’m not letting him dictate my life.” Liao huffs, focusing on unlocking his locker instead of his larger friend leaning against the locker beside him. It is the end of the day and all Liao wants to do is get his things and go home. However, his best friend has some issues to address that simply cannot wait another day or two for the weekend to come. Typical impatient Lu Bu. “I can handle myself perfectly fine.”

“So stuff like this is alright by you?” Lu Bu asks, holding up a small envelope between his fingers. Liao snatches the letter from him as he continues. “You know who it’s from and you know why he wrote it. I just don’t understand why you want to put yourself through this. I’m not saying drop the crush for good, just long enough for the bastard to graduate. Why make it worse for yourself when the prick has one more year here?”

“Weren’t you the one who told me not to let people tell me how to live my life?” Liao inquires as he opens his locker, adjusting his glass as he glances at his friend. “I’m simply following your advice.”

“And I’m happy about that but that was before all this crush business started.” Lu Bu points out, tucking a strand of long black hair that falls in his face behind his ear. “If you were crushing on any other guy in the school, I’d be behind you 100% but you’re crushing on the cousin of your tormentor. It’s not exactly helping you in any way.”

Liao sighs as he places his books in his locker. He understood his friend’s concern about him. He has been dealing with the insults and name-calling since they were in middle school. If not for Lu Bu’s advice, he never would have gone public with his orientation freshmen year but he regrets nothing after that day. It was certainly nice to not have to hide that about himself and not have every girl in school hit on him more than once before realizing he wasn’t interested. However, a certain upper classman decided to take that small fact and make a big deal out of it. He didn’t mind it much at first but it was beginning to wear on him a bit and it certainly didn’t help that he had feelings for this upper classman’s younger cousin. It was obvious from the start that Liao had feelings for the older male after sharing a few classes with him. He would always stutter while talking to him, left little love poems in his locker, and he would blush the brightest of reds when a classmate would call him out for staring at the other.

“I realize that but unlike you I don’t beat at the problem until it goes away.” Liao states as he turns to Lu Bu. “Plus, no one else seems to think it’s a big issue.”

“So you knew the entire school knows about your crush on him?”

“Yeah and I get the occasional teasing from some of our classmates but they aren’t really mean about it.” Liao explains, returning to his locker to pull out his bag, and it was true. A few guys from his classes did poke fun at him for his crush whenever the junior in question came into their conversations but they meant no harm. Zhang Fei was a common one as he shared a lot of classes with Liao and would always try to bring up the boy in question just to watch Liao fluster. A few other guilty parties were Daqiao and Xiaoqiao, Pang De, Xu Huang, even Xiahou Yuan was guilty of this but they were never malevolent in their words, just the playful teasing of friends towards the awkward guy with a severe crush. If anything, any girls that would talk about the situation thought they would make a cute couple, especially the Qiao duo. “Give it a few months and it’ll be like every other rumor that goes through this school, lost and forgotten.”

 “You’d think that the object of your affection would at least step up to address it by now.” Lu Bu mutters with a roll of his eyes.

“I don’t expect him to do anything. He’s the most popular guy in his class year and in the entire school pretty much.” Liao states as he begins to blush. “I wouldn’t expect him to worry about something as silly as this.”

“If he only knew the name of the storm that is causing you trouble.”

“Okay, would you knock it off with that already?” Liao snaps as he turns to Lu Bu, slamming the locker shut as he does and spooking his friend when he stumbles away from the grating noise. “Sorry but the only reason you’re so hateful about him is because he’s related to Cao Cao and you’ve always hated him for a reason that seems obvious but you’re too honorable to do anything about it. I respect that, I do, but he’s not that bad of a guy and nothing like his cousin. Why don’t you pull your head out of your ass and give him a chance?”

Lu Bu opens his mouth to argue but seems to notice something behind the other and smirks. “I guess I was wrong. Look who’s finally stepping up after all is said and done.”

Liao gives the other a confused look until he realizes his friend is looking past him and slowly looks over his shoulder. His cheeks turn a bright pink when he finds his crush standing behind him: Xiahou Dun. He was only an inch or two taller than him but his build was clearly larger than Liao’s despite the blue letterman jacket he is wearing obscuring most of his shape. His short dark brown hair is spiked as usual with his short bangs brushed to the side. That paired with his grass green eyes is what lured him to the older man to begin with, not that he would ever admit it aloud, and his attitude certainly helped him along the way.

“It’s nice to see you too, Lu Bu.” Dun chuckles. The genuine warmth in his voice is enough to make Liao melt where he is standing but he tries to keep himself composed. “And I’ve been looking for you, Liao. We need to talk about something” he glances up at Lu Bu “alone.”

“Does it really matter if I’m here or not?” Lu Bu asks, his tone is defensive and irritated as would be expected. “Anything you say to him can easily be said with me around.”

“J-just wait for me in the front lobby, Lu Bu.” Liao stutters as he glances over his shoulder at his friend, who gives him an irritated half-glare. “We won’t be more than a few minutes.”

Lu Bu huffs and pushes himself off the lockers and picks up his bag from the floor, the end of a baseball bat sticking out of the main compartment on the bag. “Alright, I’ll leave but only because you asked, Liao.” He starts walking down the hall, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and shooting Dun a menacing glare as he walks past him. “But if you’re not there in ten minutes, I’m coming back with my baseball bat and some teammates.”

Liao rolls his eyes and turns back to Dun, glad most of initial warmth in his face has dissipated by now. “So, what is it we need to talk about?”

“I think you know.” Dun sighs as he leans against the lockers. “I know some of the other students have been giving you a rough time recently.”

“No, they’re just teasing me. They aren’t really that bad, some of them are my closest friends that just realize how awkward I can be.” Liao reassures the other but the stern look he is given tells him the other is not buying it. “Well, I am having trouble with a handful of guys but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” Liao murmurs as he slips the strap of his bag onto his shoulder.

Dun goes to speak but then notices the letter in the other’s hand. “What’s that then?”

Liao glances up at Dun then at the letter in his hand. “It…it’s nothing.” Liao goes to quickly stash it into his bag but it is plucked out of his fingers before he can even move, surprising him when he looks up at Dun like he was just shot.

The envelope itself appears to be simple with no writing on the outside as is the note within it as the envelope wasn’t sealed properly but opening it reveals something that causes Dun’s brow to furrow.

“You think ignoring me is going to make this stop, fag? You really think Dun shares your sick homo feelings? He absolutely hates your faggot guts, so stop trying to go after him. I’m not stopping until you drop the act or drop dead, whichever comes first, and I would prefer the latter. Do yourself a favor to the world and end it now."

Dun glances up at Liao as the other looks away, obviously trying to hold back tears. “You just get used to it after a while.” Liao murmurs, nervously rubbing his arm.

“You shouldn’t have to get used to it at all, Liao. You of all people shouldn’t need to go through this to begin with.” Dun states then gently lays a hand on Liao’s arm. “You’re too sweet for this kind of treatment.” Liao’s cheeks burn a bright pink again despite his want to control it. “Why not just tell someone about this?”

“It wouldn’t do any good.” Liao sighs. “It would just stir trouble and start an unnecessary witch hunt in the school. I’m already dealing with enough problems from this handful of guys. I don’t need half of the school turning against me too.”

“Well, I’m not walking away until something is done about this.” Dun says, causing the other to look up at him. “I understand you don’t want to start trouble but maybe you don’t have to. If these guys are bagging on you because of this whole crush thing, why not just shut them up with a bit of reality?”

“W-what do you mean?”

Dun seems a bit hesitant as he runs a hand through his hair then looks up at Liao. “What if we pretend date for a bit? The other students won’t know any better and it might get these guys off your back, if only for a few months.”

Liao’s heart flutters at the idea. Yes, while the word “pretend” was entailed in the statement, the thought that Dun actually wanted to help him by taking on such a role is flattering. It may only be a public thing but this may be as close to his dream as he will ever get.

“A-alright,” Liao stammers “I guess we could give it a try.”

The warm smile Dun gives him is enough to make Liao’s heart burst out of his chest. “Good to hear. I’ll contact you later tonight then?”

“Yeah, I’ll be online for a bit before bed, so we can chat then.” Liao chuckles, his cheeks seeming to cling to a faint red tinge.

“Cool, I’ll talk to you then.”

Dun turns and takes off down the hall, giving Liao a moment to lean against the lockers, catch his breath, and organize his thoughts. In just the span of a few minutes, he went from being a mere classmate to being his crush’s fake boyfriend. It probably wouldn’t mean much to anyone else but to him, it was the best moment in his life. He takes off to the front lobby, eager to get home and talk to his new “lover”.

~~

_Xiahou Dun has started chatting with you_

_“Hey.”_

_“Hey Dun. ^^”_

_“So, how are we going to make this seem legit?”_

_“It can’t be that hard to make a relationship seem public. Have you seen Zhu Rong and Meng Huo in the halls recently? Ick. XP”_

_“Yeah, I have her in one of my classes and she ALWAYS needs to be walked to class by him and ALWAYS needs a goodbye kiss (more like make out) before class. Yuck. But I don’t want it to seem too real like them with all the PDA they have going on. This is the start of a relationship, so we can’t be too upfront about it.”_

_“Must be fun to have her with what I’ve heard. XD Then let’s go the Liu Bei and Sun Shang Xiang approach: hand holding, puppy eyes, the occasional kiss of the cheek and forehead. Relatively tame PDA without the pin of “Oh, they must have been dating for months before now” like Rong and Huo.”_

_“Sounds good to me.”_

_“Hey. Can I ask you something?”_

_“Sure.”_

_“Are you…you know…”_

_“Gay?”_

_“…yeah…”_

_“Well, I’m technically bi on a need-to-know basis.”_

_“And who needs to know?”_

_“As of right now: you, my cousins, my family, and basically anyone in my close circle of friends.”_

_“Doesn’t sound as private with you being one of the most well known guys in the school. Everyone is practically your friend at that point.”_

_“I don’t consider everyone in the school a close friend. They mostly consist of people I’ve known since grade school.”_

_“Understandable.”_

_“And compared to how many people know your orientation, it’s significantly smaller. I admire that you decided to be public with that so early in your first year.”_

_“.///. …really?”_

_“Yeah, I might be a social guy and all but I’d never have the guts to admit something like that to so many people I barely know. That’s another reason why I wanted to help you out in this. You’re such a sweet and honest guy that you can’t be treated badly for doing something so few are brave enough to do. You have to be given credit where it’s deserved and I wanna show these ass hats that their opinion on the whole things matters as much an anti-evolution argument in a biology class.”_

_“I guess…but I gotta head to bed in a little bit. Meet you in the front lobby tomorrow?”_

_“Of course.”_

_“I’ll see you then.”_

_“G’night love ;)”_

~~

Liao is very eager the next morning, almost unable to contain his excitement when he meets up with Lu Bu to walk to the bus stop but he had to keep it together. He practically springs off the bus after arriving to the school to meet up with Dun, racing ahead of Lu Bu who can barely keep up with the other despite being more athletically gifted. He and Dun speak for a few minutes, greeting one another with a hug and a small kiss to the brow from Dun, which causes Liao to blush a significant bright pink and those around them stare in surprise as the two speak. Lu Bu eventually catches up and is as surprised as the other students seeing the two interact but he simply lets it go and tells his friend he will “catch up with him later on this” before heading to class. Dun then escorts Liao to his class and lets him know to meet him at the “usual spot”.

The rest of the day goes by with only a few students making comments about them, mostly the girls in the school giggling whenever they pass the “couple” in the hall, saying something about how adorable they look together. They have a few run-ins with some of Liao’s teasing friends who congratulate him on the dream hook-up. He still got a few teasing remarks from Fei and Huang but nothing more than the usual teasing they’d give him. At the end of the day, the two are walking to Liao’s locker from their last class with Liao latched to Dun’s arm as he goes on about some silly story the other seems amused by.

“I take it Lu Bu wasn’t too happy about that?” Dun inquires with a warm chuckle.

“Not really,” Liao laughs “the only other time I’ve seen him equally as red was when he got sun burn that one time after falling asleep at a pool party. He still won’t admit to it though and he’s never told anyone but me about it, so don’t bring it up next time you two speak. I don’t want to make things any worse between you two.”

“No problem but I guess this explains why he hates him so much.” Dun sighs. “I’ll have to ask about that the next time I see him and see if he remembers it as well as Lu Bu does.”

“Well, if you do, let me know.” Liao requests. “I’d like to know if…” Liao comes to sudden halt and nearly causes Dun to falter but the other manages to stop just before pulling Liao to the floor “oh dear.”

Dun looks up to find what caused Liao to stop: a clearly written derogatory term on the other’s locker in bright pink spray paint along with a note sticking out of the bottom of the door. No doubt this is from the same ones that have been giving Liao trouble. Perhaps it was a bit worse than even Dun suspected if they went this far with it.

“That’s…a bit more damaging than the usual stuff they do.” Liao murmurs with a sigh.

“I don’t get how you can be so calm about this” Dun comments “and before you say it, I understand that you’ve just grown a thicker skin to it all. That doesn’t make it right though.” Dun flusters when Liao nuzzles against him and looks down at the other. “Liao?”

“Did you forget? We’re pretend dating here.” Liao whispers then sighs. “I can manage as long as I got you, sweetheart.” He says in a more normal tone, making sure some students passing them could hear.

Dun sighs under his breath and hugs the other, feelings his cheeks grow warm as he does. It’s so strange that this is happening but it’s not like he didn’t have a reason. Liao is an adorable and amazing kid: smart, honest, loyal, not to mention he is a lot better looking than some of the other guys he has seen around school with his dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Hazel is not that common of a eye color around here and Dun always finds them to be gorgeous. The small moments they have had today are enough for him to understand the other. He is a quirky dork with a beautiful soul and a big, strong heart. He needs one to go through all this and still manage to smile at the end of the day and he knows he couldn’t do the same in the other’s place. Dun nuzzles into the dark locks he has come to adore, causing Liao to blush but the other doesn’t complain. He wants this as much as the other does even if Dun isn’t as obvious about it.

The next few days were nothing new to the two as they continued their act. They still got the cute comments from everyone, Liao was still getting small bits of teasing from his friends, and Lu Bu surprised the two by being rather accepting of this arrangement even if it may only be temporary as some high school romances never last long. The two spent the weekend together to quell any suspicions about how real the relationship was but all they did was watch bad movies and tell hilarious stories about their childhoods because it just felt natural for the two. The cute exchanges between the two of them went from slightly awkward to relatively normal and everyone seemed to leave them be, most everyone at least. A week after the two initially “got together” was when things were truly tested for the two.

It is the end of the day again and the two have reached Liao’s locker quicker than usual because Liao has a project to work on and needs to get all his materials from his locker together. He is rambling on about his history project topic to Dun as the other leans on the lockers beside him, listening closely to the boy, when someone calls out to Dun. Liao cringes when he hears the voice, thankful the locker door between him and Dun conceals the instinctive reaction, not because it sounds like nails against a chalkboard but because of conditioning: his tormentor is finally approaching him again in person. He peeks out from behind the door as he hears the group draw close.

“There’s my favorite cousin.” Cao Cao chuckles as he approaches the two, being followed by two other students, one of whom Liao recognizes as one of Cao Cao’s other cousins Cao Ren and the other being one of his typical lackeys. He quickly returns to his locker and pays the three no mind as they speak with Dun. “What are you doing hanging out with Liao here?”

“I figured you’d have heard by now, Cao.” Dun sighs as he brushes his bangs back. “We’re dating and I prefer to hang out with my boyfriend at the end of the day.” Liao lightly blushes when the term is mentioned, trying to focus more on gathering his things than the conversation going on beside him.

“No, I’ve heard, I just thought it was a ridiculous rumor some freshman came up with. I didn’t take it too seriously.” Cao explains with a wave of his hand. “Perhaps you wouldn’t mind if we spoke with Liao for a bit?”

“Sure you can but don’t expect me to go anywhere.” Dun states as he crosses his arms.

“Not even for the right of your lover’s privacy?”

“Any business you have with him is mine as well.” Dun argues. “I don’t need to leave.”

“Stubborn as always, aren’t you, Dun?”

“It runs in the family, as you obviously know.” Dun glances down and notices something sticking out of Cao Cao’s bag: a can of pink spray paint and a small note tucked in beside it. Cao has little time to react before the can and note are both snatched out of the other’s bag. “And what’s with these?” Dun inquires, holding up the two objects.

“They’re for a class project,” Cao bluntly replies “now give them back.”

“A project, really?” Dun sighs, obviously not convinced. “I don’t recall there being any senior projects involving spray paint and this color does look awfully familiar, almost like the color someone’s been using to deface Liao’s locker for the past week.” He pops the lid off to find the spray can has been used recently and a small shake proves that the can is mostly empty. “Sounds like you got a fairly early start on this “project” you have but I wonder what I would find written in this little note you had stashed next to it.” He holds up the note between his fingers as he glares past it at Cao Cao. “Maybe some verses of hate along with a threat and a statement of implied suicide perhaps.”

“It’s none of your business, Dun.” Cao growls as he snatches objects from Dun, only managing to grab the can as Dun pulls the note out of reach.

“No, I think is it, Cao Cao.” Dun’s stare is hard at this point and his voice taking a deep, serious tone as he looks at the other. “Mind explaining yourself, cousin?”

Cao seems lost for words for a moment before proudly smirking as he crosses his arms. “Alright, you got me. I’ve been picking on him since he first came out with his faggotry. You know my personal stance on it all so it shouldn’t be that surprising. But how do we even know you’re really dating him, Dun?” Cao inquires. “I know you said you were but I also know you too well, Dun, you’re soft-hearted. You’re probably just “dating” him to stop the harassment. Don’t take me as a fool.”

“Trust me, Cao, we’re dating and what you think really doesn’t matter.”

“Then prove it.” The statement from the smaller man surprises Dun but it doesn’t show. “If you’re really dating him, show me. Do something that you’d only do if you were dating him, not the innocent kisses you’ve been having in front of the others either. Show me something real.”

Dun nonchalantly shrugs then pushes off the lockers. “Fine, as long as you agree to leave him alone after this.”

“I’ll consider it.”

Dun growls under his breath but quickly calms down as he turns to walk to Liao, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him away from the locker to have him in the open and facing him. Liao is obviously surprised by this as his wordless question briefly flashes through large hazel eyes. The smaller boy is shocked when lips make contact with his own without any warning or hesitation. He locks up for a moment, wondering if what is happening is real or not, then pushes back into the obviously real kiss. It is his first kiss in his life and he doesn’t want it to stop, this might be the only time he will get to do this. Liao wraps his arms around Dun’s neck as one of the hands on his shoulders carefully but smoothly travels down to his hip. The other’s lips are soft yet firm against his and he can’t help but think of just how gentle and powerful the man before him could be. The contact soon ends when Dun pulls away, allowing Liao to nuzzle into his shoulder, mostly to hide his blushing face and catch his breath, as he looks at Cao Cao.

“Happy now?” Cao seems lost for words once more, trying to form a sentence before growling then storming off down the hall, his group following behind him shortly after. Dun chuckles and looks back at Liao, who is still hiding his face in his shirt. “Are you alright?”

“I was just kissed for the first time in my life by my crush of two years.” Liao murmurs then looks up at Dun, his cheeks still a bright pink. “What do you think?”

“I think you should be happy.” Dun smiles and pecks the other between the eyes “and that you look very cute when you blush.”

“Stop it already,” Liao groans “it’s not like anyone’s around to see this.”

“Who’s says I’m doing this for anyone else?”

Liao looks up at the other in surprise, a spark of hope lighting up hazel orbs. “Wait, you mean you…”

“I guess this whole relationship wasn’t as much of a show as we imagined it would be, but can you really blame me?” Dun says as he gently cups Liao’s face in his hands. “You’re one of the sweetest boys I’ve ever met, one of the smartest by far, and you certainly aren’t hard to look at.” He leans his forehead against Liao’s as he continues. “Perhaps we should stop pretending, for both our sakes.”

Liao simply smiles and hugs the other tightly, happy tears springing forth as he kisses the other. He pulls away to wipes away his tears then looks up at the other. “I’d be happy to.”

“Well, I called that.” The two look down the hall and spot Lu Bu approaching them, a proud grin on his face. “I figured you two weren’t really together from the start.”

“So you simply played dumb?” Dun asks as Liao nuzzles against his chest.

“Yeah, only because I realized what you two were up to after day one” Lu Bu glances to the side with a chuckle “but you seemed pretty happy with the circumstances, so I left it alone.”

“Well, I’m happy to know that you’re accepting of this, real or not.” Dun wraps an arm around Liao as they walk up to Lu Bu. “How about you two skip the buses and ride home with me? We have quite a bit to talk about.”

“That’s fine by me.” Lu Bu sighs with a shrug, watching as the two kiss before Liao goes to gather the rest of his things, then clasps a hand on Dun’s shoulder. “Because you did something I’m glad someone had the balls to do finally.”

“I had my assumptions that Cao Cao was the one giving Liao trouble. He was never too fond of him from the start and I recognized his hand writing from the letter I read the day we decided on this dating plan of ours. I just needed to catch him in a lie and let him sink with his ship. I was never forward about a lot of things because of Cao Cao’s views but I couldn’t let my own cousin continue the cruel treatment of someone that never truly deserved it, even if it would earn me is hatred.” Dun explains as he glances over his shoulder, watching Liao quickly load his things into his bag, and warmly smiles. “It’s about time I be honest like Liao always is.”

“I always admired that about him even when we were kids. He might not be the most outspoken of people but he’s very honest, not brutally so but just as well.” Lu Bu admits. “If only everyone could be that upfront about themselves.”

“Including you?”

Lu Bu gives the other an odd look. “What do you mean?”

Liao returns to Dun’s side as the older boy chuckles, wrapping his arm around the other’s waist and pecking him on the cheek. “We’ll get to that another time” Dun chuckles “but for now let’s get you two home.”s

The two walk past Lu Bu, who sits there in thought for a moment. “What the hell could he mean by-” He groans under his breath as he assumes what it could mean. “Damn it, Liao.”

“Hurry up or you’ll be left behind!”

Lu Bu huffs and runs after the two down the hall, knowing he would need to cuss Liao out about blabbing this secret to his once-fake-now-new boyfriend. There would be hell to pay.

**Author's Note:**

> Want more? Let me know! I'm eager to get to writing again and I have another good idea but I wanna see if people can pick it up from the story first. >w>


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